Arnold

Arnold watches as the woman whom he just prayed with drives away.

"Wow, now that is a nice looking car, isn't it Russell?" he asks out loud. He looks down at his dog whom is sitting at his feet; he looks at him almost as if waiting for him to respond. The dog stares up at him and wags his tail.

"Did I ever tell you about that '68 Plymouth Road Runner I used to have?" he asks Russell. "Woo, yessir, now that was a nice car. Libby and I used to ride around in it for hours."

Arnold looks down again. Russell looks at him with expectant eyes and sticks his tongue out. Arnold reaches down and strokes the dog's head.

They stay in silence for a few minutes, Arnold lost in the memories of his past.

He's in his white car with Libby next to him. Their driving down a long road with the windows rolled down. His long brown hair flies next to her long blonde hair. He looks at her, and she looks back at him with a big smile on her face.

His thoughts are interrupted by a familiar sound.

"What you barking at, Russell?" Arnold asks him.

Russell stares up at him and emits a soft whine.

"You hungry, boy?" he asks him.

Arnold lifts his right hand and checks his old brown watch.

"It's getting late. Let's go get something to eat." Arnold says as he slowly stands up. "We didn't find a job today, but the Lord blessed us with some extra money, and I think He'd want us to get a couple burgers, don't you think Russell?"

Together, they start walking.

"I liked this little spot," Arnold says. "We should come back sometime; maybe we can even buy a coffeechino or something next time. Although, God knows those things are expensive."

As they're walking down the sidewalk, a guy on a red bicycle speeds past them like a frightened animal escaping trouble. Russell starts barking.

"Russell..." Arnold calls out. "Stop it!"

Now, that kid is in a hurry, Arnold thinks to himself. He watches as the red figure slowly disappears into the distance.

After a few minutes, they arrive at the outside of a small diner.

The smell coming from the inside wraps around their faces and resuscitates their hunger.

Arnold spots Gina picking up some trash from past customers on a patio table.

"Hey, Gina," Arnold calls out.

Gina looks up and smiles. Her smile makes her seem younger than she really is.

"Well, well, well…" Gina responds. "Look what the cat dragged in," she says with a grin.

Arnold laughs.

Russell greets her by wagging his tail and sniffing her shoes.

"How're you gentlemen doing today?" she asks.

"We're doing good, Gina. God has blessed us today, so we actually wanted to order some food to take with us."

"Well, that's nice. What could I get for you boys, today?"

"We'll just take a couple of cheeseburgers, please," Arnold says. "Tell Max they're for us. He knows how we like them."

"You got it, Mister," Gina responds. "Do you want to wait inside while we get those for you?" she asks.

"No, it's okay," Arnold responds. "We'll wait out here. We like the outside better. Ain't that right, Russell?"

Russell looks up at the sound of his name and wags his tail.

"Okay, well I'll be right back with those," Gina says. She walks into the diner.

Arnold and Russell stay standing outside. Arnold inhales some fresh air and looks up into the sky.

"Well, would you look at the stars tonight?" he whispers.

He thinks of Libby and of how he used to stargaze with her. Just the two of them laying on a blanket in the middle of a field and looking up into the night sky.

He smiles to himself.

He turns towards Russell and sees him resting on the ground.

"You're a good boy, aren't you Russell?" he asks him. The dog's eyes look up to him.

After a few minutes, Gina returns with a paper bag holding their food. But, a middle-aged man with a once-white apron comes along with her.

Arnold smiles at them.

"How're you doing, Arnold?" Max asks him. He extends out his hand.

Arnold shakes it.

"Hey, I'm doing good. How are you?" he asks.

"Good. Hey, listen," Max says, "our dishwasher, Larry, is going to stop working next week because he has to move. So, we're gonna need someone. Are you still looking for a job?"

Arnold stares at him with unbelief.

"Really?", Arnold asks. "Yes, yes, of course. I'd love a job. Thank you," he says.

"Of course," Max says. "Glad to finally have a job for you here. So, see you here next Tuesday?"

"Yes, next Tuesday," Arnold says. He shakes Max's hands again. "Thank you, I really appreciate this."

Max nods at him and smiles.

He starts walking back to the diner.

"Oh and don't worry about the burgers," Max calls out. "Take them as your first employee meal."

Arnold thanks him again.

"Well, I'll see you next week," Gina says with a smile.

Arnold smiles and nods at her.

She walks back into the diner.

"Well, would you look at that, Russell?" Arnold says out loud. "God just keeps blessing us."

Arnold closes his eyes and makes a small prayer. When he opens them he wipes a couple of tears from his face.

He reaches for his back pocket and takes out his wallet. From it, he retrieves a small faded photograph. It's a picture of Libby. He smiles at it and kisses it.

"I still miss you, baby," he says.

He puts the photograph back in his wallet.

Russell barks while staring at the bag of food in Arnold's hands.

Arnold reaches down and pets him.

"Come on, boy. Let's go eat and get some rest," Arnold says.

And together, he and Russell start walking towards their campsite in the middle of the woods.

The End.

*To see part 4 of this story, click here.